In 2015, Save Mount Diablo (SMD) signed a ten-year agreement to purchase 87.2-acre North Peak Ranch from Steve and Brenda Benkly, for a total purchase price of approximately $1.1 million. The beautiful property rises from Marsh Creek Road just east of Clayton onto the slopes of North Peak, Mount Diablo’s second tallest and more rugged peak. It shares a boundary with Mount Diablo State Park. Steve and Brenda will retain 6.2 acres and continue to live in their small 1200 sq. ft. farmhouse, built in 1924, which first necessitated a subdivision process through the County to split the parcel. SMD is also acquiring right of first refusal on that smaller parcel where the Benklys will continue to live.
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